Branciforte Auto Repair Inc

Address:	10105 Soquel Dr, Aptos, CA 95003, USA
Phone:	+1 831-685-2886
Rating:	3.8
Working:	8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 3

Reviews 12

Rob Curtis

If you are thinking about taking your car here, you should read this review. I was made to tow my vehicle from this shop after they were unable to fix it. There is actually nothing remarkable about this car. It is a Japanese front wheel drive V6. A number of parts were replaced that didnt need to be replaced in a effort to locate the trouble. Many hours were spent trouble shooting. More than 10 according to Lou. In the end they say it is the ECU but were unwilling to replace it. Lou was acting strange when I was having a conversation about it and I got the feeling he didnt want to work on it anymore. I asked him if that was the case and sure enough he wanted me to tow it away. One of the things I found very odd was after they started working on it Lou called me to ask me how old the plugs and wires were. I had literally just replaced both. The wires were so shiny and bright it would be hard to miss that they had just been replaced days before. Lou replaced the plugs anyway which meant removing the intake manifold (several hours of work.) They have been very polite and honest as have I. I expressed very little dismay upon being told I needed to remove my car and pay for the repairs. That being said I cant believe what is happening. That I have to tow it to another shop to have it fixed after already towing it here and paying to not have it fixed. After all of the trouble shooting Lou said that it was flooding on all of the cylinders because the computer was bad. So I towed it home and removed the ECU which required me disassembling half of my dash. After getting the serial number off the ECU I proceeded to search for one. A week and numerous hours of research later I called a Mitsubishi dealer and talked to the service department manager. When I told him Lou said it was the ECU because it was flooding on all cylinders he said he had never seen that happen due to an ECU. Flooding on one cylinder due to an ECU happens but never all of them at the same time. So I towed the car over the hill to the dealer to have them fix it. Thats another $150 in tows for a total of $350. This puts my unnecessary tow bill at $250. So they put it in the shop the next day and called me right away. It turns out it was the distributor. This is one of the first things you check when you have an ignition problem and it took them about half an hour. So I paid about $800 in tows and repairs that didnt benefit me in any way and I find out that what was wrong with my car was incredibly simple. I also tore apart my dash and spent a lot of time looking for a part for a problem that didnt exist. One last thing I discovered was that there was a pretty substantial amount of grease on my brand new floor mat and on the door sill. I waited a while and thought about all of this and decided to send an email to try to come to some kind of an agreement. It seems reasonable to expect that a business that fails to perform the duties it promises a customer, would agree to refund part, if not nearly all of the money. Its an agreement of trade. I give them something they can use for something I can use. Well they didnt give me anything I could use. So I sent the email and they didnt respond. This review is my response to them not responding. They could lose more money from this review than I paid to have them not fix my car. I would be happy to remove this review if they contact me and refund a reasonable amount of my money. They have my email address.

Don Campbell

Im glad we found a place we can trust to bring our cars. Nadine, Lou and he whole team are super knowledgeable and friendly, and they take the time to explain what is going on in a way that I can understand. Ive had several experiences here with my car and my wifes car - in the most recent one they fit me even though they were very busy and helped me solve a tricky problem, and fixed it before it caused serious damage to my car. Thanks for being awesome guys - I would recommend Branciforte to anyone in the Santa Cruz area.

Trevor Caruso

They replaced my oil pan and when we got the car back we noticed that they cracked the attachment for the front end bumper and it was halfway hanging off. We took it in the very next day and they refused responsibility saying it was like that. But of course we would have known if a bumper was hanging off. Since then the grill cover has come off because it wasnt reattached properly. Very disappointing. And the bumper cover still hangs freely.

Christine McGovern

Was here from out of state, my father very Ill and had passed away the night before, when my check engine light went on as I was leaving my father for last time. Although the shop was crowded they helped me out right away and sent me on my way. My youngest son lives over the hill and I am going to recommend he bring car over to get work done on car. Cant thank them enough! They are gracious and caring. And they offerbtissues!!! Christine

Patrick Hung

Lou and Nadine are great; they take care of my cars like family. What I truly appreciate is that they diagnose the problems as best they can (with my input), before deciding on a reasonable and cost-effective plan of action. Wonderful people and shop mechanics! They have my complete trust.

Anita Salem

Ive been going to these guys for 8 years, with 3 cars. They are knowledgable, helpful, and competitively priced. I am car phobic and they really help me understand when and how much of a repair to get. I completely trust them and am so glad that they are in business. Highly recommend!

Ryan Bavetta

They are friendly, dont mind explaining the details of a repair, and have done great work at reasonable prices on my Ford vehicle. They seemed to have more trouble with my Audi, which I now take to Specialized Auto, but I still prefer Branciforte for the Ford.

Sophia Alvarez

I needed a smog for an older car so I called to schedule an appointment and the owner told me that he didnt want to deal with it. He said it wasnt worth his time to deal with it.

Uriah Miano

Amazing mechanics and people. Very knowledgeable and explain things clearly so anyone can understand what went wrong and how they fixed it. Couldnt recommend a mechanic more.

Lynn Leslie

I am glad I found Branchiforte Auto in my neighborhood. They have helped me with three cars and my sons cars. They are knowledgeable, fair and very proficient.

Anonymous User

They do very good work, have reasonable prices and are good troubleshooters. Even the staff that answers the phone are knowledgeable on car repair.

Mike Weisert

For 25+ years, Branicforti has been honest and reliable. Theyll give you options if they can.